Dogfight
by SimonandJace
Summary: Dogfight AU! The rules were simple; The shadowhunter who brought the biggest freak of a downworlder won the prize. All Jace needed was the dorky guitar playing vampire. As long as that vampire didn't start to grow on him. Jimon and hints of Malec.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to everyone who informed me about the glitch! I'd posted it from my sister's phone so it didn't work the first time. Anyways. This is based off the musical Dogfight, which is based off the movie from 1991. I highly suggest you watch it, it's fantastic. So again, all rights to Cassandra Clare. Thanks for reading and reviewing **

"You know the rules, don't you?" Alec asked them, handing out the cash and shoving twenty dollars into the pocket of his own jeans, leaning back.

"Everyone knows, Alec, calm down." Jace rolled his eyes, eyeing his friends' long sleeves and jackets. It was summer, and even in New York it had reached an uncomfortably scorching temperature. "You all must be hot."

"You must be an arrogant prick." Isabelle answered coolly, surveying his bare arms. "You really think any downworlder is going to willing follow a Shadowhunter to their inevitable death?"

"I don't know." Jace smirked. "I'm relying on my charm. Besides, this way they won't be let down with...what really happens."

His friends laughed. Jace felt the unmistakable stab of guilt in his chest but shoved it away. There was no reason to feel guilty, anyways. They were the ones going off to fight for their lives tomorrow, might as well leave an impact while they could.

"I'm going below 14th street." Isabelle decided, tugging on her jacket sleeves and checking to make sure her runes were covered. She was dressed in a particularly showy fashion today, which made sense. Girls had it easy with this sort of thing, he thought bitterly.

"Then I'm going to Times." Jace called it before anyone else could, waving his money in front of them. "By the end of the night I'll have this tripled." He said haughtily.

"Last night before the war." Alec reminded them. "Make it count."

He wasn't sure exactly what sort of downworlder he was looking for. Someone shy, he figured, awkward. The kind of person that wouldn't suspect foul play. Unfortunately, that kind of downworlder hardly existed anymore. Now they were all on alert for Shadowhunters, knowing that they'd willingly kill them if a passive look was misinterpreted.

He turned left, heading past the Hunter's Moon and into Taki's. He never had much luck with werewolves. If you screwed one over, which he had, the rest would hate you forever.

He breezed inside the cafe, searching for a victim. His eyes settled on Clary, who was behind the counter. He'd had some success with her in the past, but it was years ago. What was the chance she'd remember him? "Get _out_ of my cafe, Jace Herondale." She called, her piercing eyes practically staring into his soul. "Don't even think that I forgot who you are."

"Aw come on Clary," He let his usual smirk slip onto his face as he took a seat at the bar, easing forward on his elbows as she glared at him. "That was years ago. I've grown."

"Like hell you have." She shot, wiping down the counter and intentionally smacking his arm with the washcloth. "Are you going to buy food or do I have to kick you out?" She asked.

Jace pouted, pulling out his money. "Give me a smoothie."

"Simon," Clary turned back, calling for someone behind the counter. Jace followed her gaze and found a brunette boy, glasses secured on his face with curls falling over one eye. There was a guitar slung over his shoulder which he was lazily strumming. He raised his head, looking at Jace with shy curiosity. He stood up, slinging the guitar around his back and walked over. "I'm still on my break." He told Clary, shifting a glance over at Jace again.

"Well I'm not going to serve this asshole." Clary declared, spinning on her heel and storming off.

"Wow." Simon grinned a little. "What'd you do to her?"

"I don't even remember." Jace admitted, surveying the boy. He wasn't exactly ugly, nice eyes, a good height, sharp jawline. And he seemed innocent enough, the perfect target. As long as he was a downworlder. "You play guitar?" Jace asked, nodding toward the instrument that was resting against the waiter's back while he poured a drink.

"Yeah," Simon eyes flickered with interest. "Why? Do you?"

"I always wanted to learn. I mean, obviously I have a finely tuned sense of music-"

"Obviously?" Simon asked, perplexed by his arrogance. Jace had to remind himself to go easy on the stranger, that most people who weren't acquainted with him were likely to be put off by his self-worshiping tendencies.

"I mean, anyone willing learn an instrument themselves has to care about music enough to know a good song when they hear one." He prayed that Simon would buy , he smiled. Jace felt the small jump of triumph when he caught the flash of sharp fangs in his smile. A vampire. He qualified.

It was time to display his most charming and effective smile and immediately activate flirting mode. "Here's a question for you." Simon simply arched an eyebrow, leaning against the counter on one arm and stopping the blender.

"How come, considering your talent with the guitar, you work here? With a mean mundane?"

Simon chuckled and glanced over his shoulder, as if he were checking for witnesses to what was happening. "Extra money. I'm not that great yet, just practicing."

"That's not true!" Jace insisted with flourish. "I heard you. It was remarkable. And with such a pretty face like yours, I'm sure you could make it big." Simon flushed, his cheeks turning red. Jace had previously thought it was impossible for a vampire to blush. He must have been extra charming. Or maybe Simon just wasn't use to random guys deciding to hit on him, but either way it was amusing.

"I, um, thanks?" Simon smiled weakly, pouring the smoothie from the blender and into one of Taki's red cups, sliding it across the counter to Jace. "Here you go."

Jace sipped it. Mango. He smiled broadly. "Delicious. You're skilled in more ways than one."

"So, uh, you're a Shadowhunter." Simon stated bluntly, his eyes skimming the runes on Jace's arms.

"Yes I am." Jace confirmed.

"So...this might be a bad topic but-"

"The mortal war?" Jace guessed, getting a tiny nod. "Me and my friends are heading to Idris tomorrow morning. Bright and early. Shadowhunter through and through." He pointed at his ring.

"What's the H stand for?" Simon asked.

"Herondale." Jace grinned broadly. "Jace Herondale. The little herons on the sides are my family symbol." Simon smiled politely. Normally a vampire wouldn't even speak to a Shadowhunter, but this one seemed different. Not put off by a self righteous Nephilim needlessly explaining his jewelry.

"Well, I gotta go soon." Jace finished his smoothie, rotating on the bar stool but keeping his eyes locked with Simon's. "Going to a party." He took a meaningful pause, cocking his head to the side. "Heyyy. Maybe you'd wanna come with me?"

His face registered surprise, then the previous embarrassed expression came back. "A p-party?" He stuttered. "I...um, I hardly know you?"

"Well." Jace leaned forward on the counter. "You know my last name now. Shown you my family ring. I'm an open book, Simon. This isn't some kind of pick-up game. I heard your pretty playing," He gestured toward the guitar. "And we saw eye to eye on all that music stuff! We didn't even have to try."

"Yeah, but-"

"Isn't that rare?" Jace prodded, widening his arms. "That kind of connection, it doesn't come to everyone. Look at me, I'm not threatening. I'd never hurt you. So why not come to this party with me?"

"Jace-"

"Come on, it's just a party! A great excuse to have some fun and do what you feel! Just for the night, come on, say yes!" He leaned forward and clutched Simon's free hand dramatically, grinning when the other boy flushed a brighter red and choked.

"If I go, well you know Clary would be here on her own, she would freak out." Simon bit his lip, checking back over his shoulder. "I could lie...no, I couldn't lie to her. Look, I'm not ready. We're closing and Jace, I've still gotta work-"

Jace grabbed the washcloth from him and hopped off the stool, stepping back and waving it tauntingly. "Try and work now." He teased, watching Simon's face light up as he laughed. He reached over the counter, trying to grab the cloth back.

"Jace, stop, come on!" Simon laughed, flailing to retrieve the cloth that was now being used as a flag, taunting him.

"Just come to this party with me! It's gonna be great, you can meet my friends and when it's over I'll take you right home. I have a motorcycle you know, you ever been on a motorcycle?"

"Jace!" Simon finally pulled the rag from his grip, leaning against the counter and catching his breath, chest heaving from laughter. It was the most life he'd gotten out of the vampire, which was a good sign. "I can't."

Jace sighed. This one was stubborn. He needed to resort to his only remaining tactic, a risky game. "Well, fine, I don't have anymore time to wait. If you insist on staying her with mundie girl all night, be my guest. I'm glad we met. Still it's a shame, I thought if you'd come...maybe we could've-" He stopped, intentionally averting his eyes and turning his back on him. "Have a good night."

He walked away, praying that his trick would work in the next ten seconds. He'd left him dangling, waiting with imagination driving him crazy. It was his only remaining option.

"Jace, wait!"

Grinning broadly, Jace turned around, one eyebrow arched.

"I'm going with you okay?" Simon was nervously shifting his weight, hopping over the counter swiftly and landing gracefully on his feet. Vampirism.

"Just gimme a second to go...get ready."

"Okay!" Jace agreed, pumping his voice with enthusiasm. He watched the other boy run up the steps that led to someone's-presumably his-apartment. As soon as Simon was gone, Jace pumped his fist in the empty cafe, spinning happily in a tiny victory circle.

It was perfect. Simon was perfect for the party. He was five-star freak. Jace could picture it now, walking him in, dancing in front of his jealous friends, winning the thick wad of cash. And Simon was so naive, so innocent, so...nice.

Jace ignored the well-known feeling of guilt. It wasn't a big deal, it was the way things had always been for Shadowhunters. Tradition. And Simon would never have to find out.

He was the perfect victim for a dogfight


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took longer than usual to get this chapter up! Summer is distracting. Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing ****J**

"Aren't you the one always preaching rules?"

Alec glanced over at Magnus, squinting against the glare that emanated from all the glitter. All that glitter, he thought happily. He was sure to win. "It's my last night." Alec shrugged, leaning against the hotel wall. "I worked hard. It's time to get my reward. So what do you say?"

Magnus contemplated his offer. "Give me half of the win." He declared, flicking his cigarette to the side and straightening up.

"Half?" Alec repeated, baffled. "No way! I'll give you 30% that's it."

Magnus shrugged. "Then I won't do it. I have other clients tonight. Ones with actual life threatening emergencies, not cruel Shadowhunter parties."

Alec scowled. "I'm risking my life every day, starting tomorrow. For you and every other downworlder in this city and everywhere else."

"Right." Magnus rolled his cat eyes, scoffing. "That's why you're doing it."

"Hey," Alec stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. "You don't know anything about Shadowhunters."

"I know plenty about Shadowhunters." Magnus drawled lazily, obviously not threatened by Alec's passive aggressive nature. "I've been alive for 600 years. I've known Shadowhunters who were great people, who would never do something like this."

Alec scoffed. "You know nothing." He scanned Magnus, weighing the advantages and disadvantages. Magnus would definitely win, he was the biggest freak there was. Especially when Alec told him to be.

"Fine." Alec surrendered, putting his hands up. "Half. If you win."

"And I will." Magnus assured him, smirking. "Now can you stop acting so superior? You're less attractive when you're bossy."

"Win first." Alec said, stepping out of the way and toward the door. "Then you can have whatever you want."

* * *

Simon couldn't breathe.

"Oh my gosh." He whispered under his breath, bursting into his room and looking at himself in the mirror. "_Oh my gosh_." His hair was a mess and the godforsaken Taki's uniform made him look more pale than ever. He needed something to wear, something that a Shadowhunter would like. What did Shadowhunters like? Something black.

"What are you doing?" Clary stood in his doorway. "Why are you changing into actual clothes?"

He wanted to be offended but he really couldn't. His shift always ended at around 9 at night and there was really nowhere to go after that other than Jordan's apartment, unless the werewolf had a date.

He always had a date.

"You know that boy? That Jace guy?" Simon grinned. "He's taking me to a party!"

Clary closed her eyes and tilted her head up to the ceiling, probably counting to 10 in her head. "Simon, you don't want to get involved with that boy. With any Shadowhunter. They're jerks."

"You don't know that!" He insisted stubbornly. "He was nice to me! He talked to me out of nowhere. He said I had nice eyes, no one's ever told me that before."

"You have nice eyes." She said flatly. "Are you in love with me now?"

He choked. "Who said anything about being in love with him?" Simon asked, pulling on a darker shirt and looking back in the mirror. "Help me." He whined. Clary sauntered over to him, her slim fingers brushing his hair over to the side. "I can't believe I'm encouraging this. You're my best friend and I don't want anyone to deal with that asshole. Don't do this."

Simon sighed. She didn't understand. No one asked Simon out. He was Simon, he was nerdy and quiet and he worked at a cafe. But this boy, a Shadowhunter boy who had golden eyes and razor sharp cheekbones, asked him, no, begged him to come to a party. Simon was going.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He responded finally, standing up and grabbing his jacket.

"Simon!" She exclaimed.

"Bye!" He shot down the staircase, finding Jace resting against the far wall with his jacket slung over his shoulders and his hand in one pocket. He was practically a model.

"Ready?" He straightened up, grinning. He had perfect teeth, Simon noted happily.

"Ready." He let Jace take his hand and felt another burst of anxiety. Jace had probably never touched a vampire's cold skin before. Unless he was killing one. Except no, Simon reminded himself, Shadowhunters didn't just kill vampires. Unless they were terrible people and Jace was definitely not a terrible person.

"It's too bad I don't get to spend more time in New York." Jace commented, lifting his face so that the city lights outlined him perfectly and his golden hair cascading towards his jaw. "But I guess I have no choice."

"You were drafted?"

"Nah. Me and the Lightwoods decided together that we were meant to be in Idris. Fighting with our families."

"You don't even seem scared." Simon observed, watching Jace's luminous eyes flicker over to him.

"Why would I be scared?"

"I-it's a war." Simon stuttered, feeling like he'd said something he wasn't supposed to. "I mean, all that fighting and killing and..."

"It's the only way to get anything done." Jace shrugged, back to his usual look of nonchalance.

"Not really." Simon said, feeling courageous enough to continue. "There are other options than just pointing weapons at people. That...doesn't fix anything."

"It's how Shadowhunters work." Jace snapped, which would have made Simon's unbeating heart stutter if he were still alive. "It's just," Jace's voice softened. "It's our only option."

"No one deserves to die." Simon said quietly. "Shadowhunters included."

Jace was looking at him, a strange expression on his face, like he was trying to remember who Simon was. Not looking where he was going, Jace stumbled slightly when they reached the curb. An unbalanced Shadowhunter, Simon marvelled, that had to be rare.

"Is this it?" He asked Jace, looking up at the club. In swirly black script the sign read Pandemonium, a place that he'd heard about from Jordan.

"Yeah. This is it."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - So this chapter took a little bit longer than usual and I'm sorry about that. I'll probably be posting the next chapter within the next two or three days to make up for it :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!**"Uh, we don't have to go in." Jace said suddenly, shifting to one foot. "We could go get dinner or I could-"

"Jace!"

They looked over to where a black haired Shadowhunter was approaching, a glitter drenched boy following behind him with a bored expression. Upon closer examination, Simon found that the bored one had vertically slit eyes, like a cat. A warlock. "This is Magnus." The black haired one presented, grinning crookedly.

"This is Simon." Jace introduced, his voice lower than he had been before. He seemed more subdued, less cheerful. Suddenly Simon was worried that he'd put him off. Had he been too insensitive about the war? It must've been insulting enough for Jace's interest to disappear. "Simon, this is Alec. He's my parabatai."

"So you're partners when you fight?" Simon asked, eyeing Alec. "Right?"

"That's right." He confirmed. "Partners. And that's my sister, Isabelle." He pointed to where a pretty girl with matching dark hair was talking to a fairy boy.

"You want a drink?" Jace asked, guiding him inside with his hand still clasped, slightly tighter than before. "What do you have?"

"I'm fine." Simon felt his cheeks burn. There was no way he was going to order blood in front of Jace, but anything else would make him sick.

"C'mon you've gotta let me buy you something." Jace leaned against the bar, his eyes scanning the room. "Margarita?"

"Yeah, sure." Simon could deal with the consequences later, after he was back home and he had Clary to scold him for being so stupid. He accepted the drink, closing his eyes and letting the terrible taste pass his lips. He really missed being able to drink anything other than bottled animal blood.

"Aren't you supposed to be drinking blood?" The warlock, Magnus, asked him.

"Um-"

He was saved from answering when the Isabelle girl and her fairy joined them. She whispered something to Jace and Alec, making Alec smile and Jace scowl. "I think it's time we go dance." Isabelle announced, taking her fairy by the hand and tugging him away with Alec and Magnus behind her. Jace stayed where he was, stony expression in place and a drink in his hand.

"We're the only ones still here." Simon mumbled.

Jace sighed. "Look, you're a nice guy and this is a fucked up place."

"Please, Jace?"

He studied him for a moment, gold eyes intense and burning before finally offering him a hand. "You want to dance?" He asked, sighing again when Simon nodded. "You asked for it. Semper fi do or die."

He led Simon to where the rest of the Shadowhunters were, laughing and talking together, their eyes shifting over every downworlder. They looked at Simon and began to whisper, Jace turning him around before he could see anything else.

"Did I...did I do something wrong?" Simon asked in a small voice, Jace's hand steady on his waist. "You seem angry."

"You didn't do anything." He said quickly, flashing the same grin that had started the night. "We can talk. Ask me something."

"Okay, um..." Simon thought about it. "What's that thing you said? Semper fi do or die?"

"Oh it's just a motto. We say it when we've got something hard to do I guess."

Simon thought about it. "I'm hard to dance with?" He asked, watching Jace blink.

"No, I meant..." He looked back at Simon, his gaze steady and almost...confused? "You're perfect."

Simon smiled, an actual happy smile that probably indicated how he felt. He'd never really believed everything in movies and the things Jordan told him every time he talked about Maia. But it was true, how you felt your chest lift every time they said something like that and you felt like you were...

His vision blurred. _Damn it. _

He knew this. It was a warning that he was about to be sick from human food. He jerked back from Jace, pulling his hand away. The golden eyes were looking at him in concern. "Are you okay? You look..."

"Be right back." He said quickly, darting to the bathroom. He thanked the God whose name he couldn't say for his vampire speed. Being sick in front of Jace was not desirable.

Simon kneeled on the grimy club floor, ridding his stomach of the disgusting human drink. He wondered if anything would ever taste good again, other than warmed up blood. Probably not. The door slammed to the bathroom and there were suddenly two anger voices shouting at each other. Angry voices that he recognized.

"You said 30!" The voice of Magnus was saying. "You can't back out! What happened to a Shadowhunter's sacred word of whatever the hell it is that you angels are always preaching about?"

"You're not even supposed to be here." Alec's voice answered coldly. "You hardly won."

"But I did win." Magnus responded automatically. "I always do."

"Fine. You want your money? Here."

There were footsteps and Simon forced himself up, wiping his mouth with his wrist and opened the door, looking at the warlock who was staring numbly down at a wad of money on the ground.

"Are you okay, Magnus?" Simon asked, his voice still slightly scratchy from the previous activity. "What happened?"

"He broke his word, that's what happened!" The warlock huffed, spinning and glowering into the mirror, rubbing his eyes and smearing eyeliner across his face. "I agreed to coming to this stupid contest because he has to be polite! Those are the rules!"

"The rules?" Simon asked, watching Magnus's face change. His anger seemed to melt away, turning into something else.

"Nevermind." He muttered quietly, taking a wet paper towel to his face and continuing to wash away his make up.

"No, really. What did you mean?" Simon inched towards him.

"The rules of the dogfight." Magnus clarified after a moment, keeping his voice low. "It's what they do. The Shadowhunters. They all put in money, like 50 each for the food and the music and everything. The rest is prize money."

"Prize money?" Simon asked, starting to feel sick again.

"That's right. The Shadowhunter with the biggest freak of a downworlder gets the cash. I'm a warlock, so I win." His fingers sparked blue.

"Oh my...oh my gosh." Simon mumbled, trying to get his mind to register what he was saying. His eyes went back up to the warlock. "You must feel terrible-"

"It's not so bad." Magnus shrugged. "At least I got cash. All you got was sick."

He felt like he was about to pass out. The feeling of being wanted had been replaced by the feeling of being a joke. He was reminded of the way the Lightwoods had been looking at him, laughing and whispering. The way their eyes had followed him and Jace...

_Jace. _

"So some little prick with golden eyes and a charming smile is going to get you down?" Magnus nudged him. "Please. Shadowhunters are all the same. Don't expect anything. That's how they're made." His cat eyes glistened. "But if I'm getting screwed I'm at least getting paid."

Simon would love to have that mentality with the situation but he couldn't. Magnus was so...comfortable with it. Maybe because he hadn't been tricked.

"So he told you he'd take you here and buy you a few drinks and you'd fall in love, right?" Magnus guessed. Simon nodded. "But where is he now? Out there with his jackass friends, laughing at all of us. You take your money." Magnus stood behind him, putting both hands on Simon's shoulders and looking into the mirror. "Take what you made. If you don't play the game, then you let him win. And I mean, if you're getting fucked don't you want to get paid?"

He let him go, beginning to make his way toward the door. "How can you let a few arrogant Shadowhunters tell you this is how things should be?" Simon demanded, still staring into the mirror. Magnus paused, one hand on the door. He sauntered back over, a smirk taking up his tanned face.

"Vampire, they won't ever stop. It's tradition to them. You either get use to it, or just get flat out used." Magnus scanned him over, pulling a paper towel from the dispenser and handing it to him. "Dry your tears and show them what a Downworlder can do."

And he left.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Sorry the update took so long! I was on vacation. To make it up, I'll try to get chapter 5 up sooner. Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

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"You know you aren't supposed to give vampires human drinks, right?" Isabelle laughed, sweeping her inky black her behind her shoulder. The lights of the club seemed to reflect off of her dark eyes, making them look vicious as she glanced at Jace. "Where is he?"

"It made him sick." Jace muttered. He was such an idiot. Of course Simon had refused the first time. Jace had just assumed that he was being innocent and generous.

"It's too bad you didn't win." Alec waved his wad of bills. "But I think making a vampire drink a margarita should count for something." He slid Jace a twenty. "Honorable mention."

"Shut up." Jace mumbled, ignoring the money when he saw Simon storm out of the bathroom. He was striding straight toward him with the most confidence he seemed to possess. "Hey what's-"

"Stop!" Simon yelled at him. Jace noticed with a jerk of surprise that there were tears brimming in his caramel eyes. "Who gave you the right to treat people like this?"

"Simon-"

"I know about your stupid contest!" He shouted. "Everything you said tonight was just a...a lie. You're a terrible excuse for a human being!"

Alec moved forward, standing in front of Jace. "Hey that's my parabatai you're talking about-"

"_Shut up you creep_!" Simon yelled, effectively making Alec back away. Suddenly his eyes were cold and his voice lowered into an icy, harsh tone. "I hope you die, Jace Herondale. I hope the war goes on, and you get killed." He looked over at Isabelle and Alec. "All of you."

Jace feebly tried to grasp his hand, only to have Simon jerk his arm away and dart out the door, into the street. Stunned into silence, Jace just stared at the door. He hadn't expected Simon to find out and he really hasn't expected it to make him feel so...gross.

"What a little bitch." Alec scoffed. Magnus, who had been standing a few feet away and grinning while Simon was yelling, moved forward with liquid grace and promptly kissed Alec on the lips. The Shadowhunter jerked back, his cheeks red and his eyes murderous. "W-what the hell?"

Magnus looked to Jace and Isabelle, who were watching in amazement. "He liked that more than he'll ever admit to you." And he spun on his heel and left. For once Isabelle and Jace were silent, staring at the red cheeked Lightwood who seemed to be in a state of catatonic shock. Slowly, he scrubbed a hand across his mouth and turned around, marching out of the club with his sister and parabatai right behind him.

"Alec," Isabelle jogged to keep up with his long strides. Her heels clicked against the ground, splashing the small rain puddles from the afternoon showers across the pavement. "What's going on? Why did he...?"

"I don't know." Alec growled, leading the way to the Institute, walking so quickly that Jace and Isabelle had to hurry to keep up. "That wasn't my fault." Alec sounded like he was pleading with them now. "I...I didn't agree to that."

"We know." Isabelle assured her brother. The relationship between the Lightwoods wasn't the usual big brother/little sister dynamic. Isabelle spent all of her time making sure Alec didn't get too upset and Alec spent all of his time making sure no one got near Isabelle. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He stopped walking, turning to Isabelle and Jace. His blue eyes were lit with a frightening fire. "You've never killed a vampire, have you Isabelle?" His voice was drenched with a calmness that unnerved Jace.

Slowly, quietly Isabelle shook her head. According to the Accords, Shadowhunters could only kill a vampire if it was rogue and dangerous. But when a vampire decided to mouth off to a Shadowhunter, they almost always paid the price. "You've got to kill one." Alec continued. "How can you fight a war if you haven't even killed a bloodsucker?"

"Alec she doesn't have to." Jace argued, his voice firm as he kept a hand on Isabelle's arm. They'd never seen him act like this before. Sure they tricked the occasional Downworlder into accompanying them to a freak contest, but this was different. This was murder.

"I thought you wanted to win the war." Alec said, his voice so cold that it sent shivers down Jace's spine. "You have to be ruthless."

And he took off again, veering away from the direction of the Institute. He was roaming different streets, his intensity enough to keep Jace and Isabelle silent. Finally they reached a bar, not far from Taki's, that served drinks made from primarily blood ingredients. There was a boy out front, leaning against the building and smoking. Vampires liked to smoke. They didn't have working lungs, so it didn't matter if they were destroyed. He had silky blonde hair that covered one eye like a curtain and the moon reflected off of his dead white skin.

Alec stood with his sister and parabatai a few feet away, handing Isabelle his seraph blade. "Go."

Isabelle hesitated. "Alec he isn't doing anything wrong. He's not rouge."

"He may not be doing anything wrong." Alec amended. "But he's not _doing_ anything. Vampires live forever, taking up our space. Shadowhunter lives are the shortest in the world. We die protecting mundanes and what do they do?" His expression was disgusted as he glanced back at the oblivious vampire. "They're worthless. They don't care if we die."

Jace felt something in his chest clench and he remembered suddenly what Simon had told him. The way he'd looked, with the summer breeze shifting his hair around and the way he managed to blush, even though he was a vampire. _"No one deserves to die,"_ He'd said. _"Shadowhunters included." _

But Isabelle had changed her mind. Every bit of hesitance was gone and she now slid the blade under her sleeve, stepping out of the darkness and slinking over to the vampire. She sidled up beside him, her hand lingering on his shoulder. Jace couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could tell from the vampire's expression that it was working. Alec was grinning wickedly.

The moment the vampire moved to put his hand on her waist, Isabelle grabbed him harshly by the arm and threw him to the ground. Vampire strength apparently failed him as Isabelle pinned him down, her blade lingering over his heart. Unable to help himself Jace darted forward. "Get _off_ of him!" He yelled, prying his sister away and holding her back. The vampire gazed wonderingly up at him, like he wasn't sure if it was real. "Go! _Run_!" Jace shouted, relief filling his chest when the boy scrambled to his feet and sprinted away.

"What the hell was that for?" Isabelle shouted, furiously fighting to get out of Jace's arms. "I almost had him!"

"What is your fucking problem?" Alec asked him.

Jace shook his head. "I don't know." And he took off, sprinting to Taki's. He wasn't sure what Alec would say to him tomorrow, when they inevitably met again. But he didn't care. Right now, Jace only wanted to see Simon


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I tried to get this chapter up a little earlier. Soooo a lot of people have been leaving messages and reviewing telling me to add more Malec. And I agree Malec is awesome. In the original Dogfight, Magnus's character is a girl named Marcy and he was originally supposed to throw water on Alec. But I thought that was kinda OOC and Malec is a necessity, so I ended up with the kiss. So I will continue to bend the rules a little, for the sake of Malec. Thanks for reading and reviewing ****J**

* * *

"There's no known heartbreak that can't be cured by a nice, refreshing blood smoothie."

Simon suppressed a groan. He knew that Clary meant well and she'd very kindly refrained from the use of the words "_I told you so" _but the amount of blood in his blender only reminded him of where he'd been an hour ago. On the floor of a disgusting club bathroom, puking his guts out while the Shadowhunters, including Jace, laughed at him. "Thank you, Fray." He took the cup in his hands and took a sip. It _did_ feel good to have something to drink again that wouldn't make him sick. His hunger had been heightening all night, but he'd been too enthralled with Jace to care.

It was amazing how fast things could change.

"Listen, Si." Clary perched on the counter of the kitchen, her Wonder Woman pajama pants brushing against the tiled floor as she moved. "It's not you. It's Shadowhunters. Don't take it personally. I've had this happen to me before, by the exact same guy."

"You never told me what happened between you two." Simon murmured into his cup. In all honesty, Simon could never quite keep track of all the boys that broke Clary's heart. It happened at least every three months. She'd find someone, usually a Downworlder, date them for awhile and then inevitably dump them. _"They," _She'd declared once. "_Were always at fault." _

Clary shrugged now. "He used me. Wanted to make some other girl jealous. Maybe so he could invite her to another one of those parties, I don't know. They're just—they're _jerks, _Si. That's all."

He sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. Clary clinked her glass against his, the yellowish milky liquids of her banana-strawberry concoction sloshing around inside. "You know he didn't deserve a detective as brilliant as you, right Sherlock?"

Simon grinned. When she let him be Sherlock, it meant she was trying her hardest to cheer him up. "Of course, Watson. Besides, I could tell from the pretentious black outfit and obviously product-soaked hair that he was, scientifically speaking, a jackass."

Clary laughed. "Brilliant deduction, Mr. Holmes."

They were interrupted by a knocking, or more realistically, a _banging _on their front door. Their front door was the entrance to the café, which had closed nearly three hours ago. They both froze. Usually when someone was fiercely rapping on the door to a closed business in New York, they were a robber. And they usually had a gun.

"Should we hide?" Clary whispered, her face tight and worried. They couldn't afford to lose any money right now, Luke couldn't afford it. And since Luke wouldn't be home for the next two days, there was no one to protect the two teenagers.

"Let me handle this." Simon's voice was a low growl in the back of his throat. With all the annoyance and anger that he had built up from tonight's events, he could easily impale whoever was trying to take their money. He marched down the stairs, gesturing for Clary to stay upstairs, and stopped short at who was standing outside the frosted glass door.

Jace, with all his black and gold colors blurring together, was leaning against the door. It seemed to be the only thing keeping him upright, like if Simon cared to open it Jace would just collapse to his knees. _Good, _Simon thought viciously, _maybe he feels guilty. _But he would not, under any circumstance, give Jace forgiveness.

And yet.

"What are you doing here?" Simon hissed, throwing the door open. Jace remained upright, despite Simon's previous musings, but he still looked as though he might collapse at any minute. His previously nonchalant face with an arsenal of different charming expressions was now blank. He looked pale and sick, as though he might double over and lose his many drinks on the cement at that very moment. That was karma for you.

"I came to see you." Jace said, clearing his throat a little. "I wanted to—I just wanted to see you."

"Here I am." Simon spread his arms wide. "Looking for something to make fun of? Because I could send you a detailed list of all the shows and comics and movies I like via e-mail and I'm sure you and your friends will just have a field day with it."

Jace, impossibly, grew even paler at the mention of Isabelle and Alec. Simon briefly wondered if something happened, not that he actually cared enough to ask. "I'm...sorry." He said finally, his declaration hanging in the empty space between them. Simon inclined his head.

"What are you sorry for?" Jace looked pained. Like having to actually admit his wrongdoings caused him physical harm. In the tense silence, Simon decided to continue. "How about for acting like you liked me? And lying all night just so you could win money with your asshole friends?"

"I'm not like them." Jace responded automatically. "I mean, remember how I didn't want to take you dancing? I tried to stop you."

Simon stared at him for a moment, letting the seconds crawl by while his mind tried to piece this together because oh God this guy was _unbelievable. "_Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He spluttered finally.

Jace lifted his shoulders slightly, as if to say _um, duh. _"I could have just let you go out there without any warning."

"So let me get this straight," Simon seethed. Jace flinched back at his tone. "_You_ invite _me_ to a party that's basically a who's-the-biggest-freak contest, give me a 'warning' about what was really happening, which was really just a weak excuse for you to stay at the bar longer, and now it's supposed to be _my fault_ that I didn't listen?"

Jace blinked. "No?"

It was quiet after that. Simon's fists were clenched and his heart would be practically throwing itself against his ribcage if it still beat. His mind was screaming at him to say something sassy and turn away, be the badass that he admired in every movie, but something kept him glued to that spot. He was waiting. Waiting for Jace to make everything better so he could trust those bright golden eyes just like he had only a few hours ago because he wanted so badly to hold on to the idea that no one on earth could be _completely_ terrible.

"I'm sorry." Jace said softly. "I just—everyone keeps telling me that I can act the way I want. I can treat people however badly I want, just because I'm a Shadowhunter. And the more Downworlders who hated me, who glared at me whenever I was passing them in the street at the sight of my runes, the easier it became to just—pretend they didn't have feelings." He paused for a moment. "It's what they did to me."

Simon didn't respond. He tilted his head back and stared up at the stars, blotted out by skyscrapers. "Did I win anything?" He asked quietly.

"No," Jace said quickly. "They didn't think you were a freak. In fact, they said you were completely normal. And Isabelle thought you were hot."

Simon rolled his eyes. "You're smothering me with compliments because you feel guilty?"

Jace shook his head, golden tendrils flying out of his eyes. "Actually, I'm trying to convince you to let me…take you out. Again. We can go anywhere you want. But I totally understand if you don't want to."

_Don't be stupid, _Simon's inner voice whispered. It sounded like Clary. _He hurt you. He made you cry. Don't even think about it, you'll get hurt again. Don't be stupid don't be stupid don't be—"_Fine."

Jace's face lit up. It looked different this time, not like it had before. It was sincere. Earlier that night all of his happy expressions had been traced with a sort of devilish glee, the kind of look that Moriarty would have after successfully besting Sherlock. But now he just looked genuinely happy. It was, Simon decided, much more likeable this way.

"Where do you want to go?" Jace asked. He was literally _bouncing_ on his heels, overflowing with giddy excitement.

"Just hang on, okay?" Simon glanced back up the stairs. "I need to go tell Clary where I'm going." He rushed up stairs, trying to think of a good enough explanation to give Clary on why he was being so incredibly stupid. Luckily, he didn't need one. Apparently exhausted, the redhead had curled up on her bed, on the way towards sleep. "Fray?" He whispered, leaning over her.

"I heard you talking." She murmured. "Was it Jordan?"

Simon bit his lip and nodded. "Yes. We're going out, okay? I'll be back tomorrow morning." He kissed her forehead and pulled the duvet up around her tiny frame.

"Don't get too drunk." She warned sleepily. "Don't be stupid."

"Too late for that." He mumbled under his breath and started down the stairs, toward his second date with the terrible Jace Herondale.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Wow I haven't updated in awhile and I'm sorry. School. Anyways this probably doesn't have many chapters left, but for now it's got a few more updates to go. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. **

"You know that I'm only doing this because I have nothing better to do," Simon says pointedly once they'd begun to walk towards the restuarant. "You do know that, right?"

Jace's face undergoes a remarkably quick seizure of expressions. First he looks slightly surprised, then angry, then annoyed, then he finally lands to rest on a simple smile and lift of his shoulders. "I guess you like me more than the redhead, then?" Simon can feel himself smiling a bit despite himself. Although it was considerate of Jace to have the decency to at least look miserable when he arrived for his dramatic apology, Simon enjoyed the golden boy much more when he was acting normal. Pretentious? Yes. Obnoxious? Definitely. But it was endearing, almost cute.

Not that he would say such a thing out loud.

Simon reminds himself on the entire walk over to stay smart. He needed to keep his guard up, no matter how many times Jace flashed the endearing little smirk of his or nervously brushed hands with Simon and then immediately pulled away, blushing furiously. It was difficult, though. Being smart wasn't easy when a physically fit Shadowhunter was shamelessly flirting with you every two seconds.

"I don't know much about New York," Jace warns him as they approach the restaurant. "But I googled it, and this diner apparently has the best tomato soup in the world."

"Tomato soup?" Simon echoes, bewildered. "You choose your restaurant based off its quality of tomato soup? You can just buy tomato soup anywhere-" He stops short at the look on Jace's face. It's a look of slight apprehension, a nervous energy flickering behind his tawny eyes. His hand rested on the door to the diner and Simon suddenly realized with an unexpected jolt that Jace was trying his hardest.

No one had ever tried their hardest for Simon before.

"But I heard that too." Simon says carefully, watching as Jace's face softens. "About their tomato soup."

So they walk inside.

"What changed your mind?" Simon asks once they're seated by the large window near the back. They have a view of the Hudson and the water skims up to the surface of the clean glass, swirling just outside the thin window.

"I realized that I was being a dick." Jace replies sincerely. "And if I was going to spend my last few hours of real life in the city, I wanted to be with someone other than damn-"

"Stop." Simon halts him with a hand held in the air. "Why do you curse so much? Is it for emphasis or something?"

Jace blinks in surprise. "I-I dont know. It's a Shadowhunter flaw."

Simon's oncoming remark was silenced by the waiter gliding over. She was a mundie, a normal brunette with long pretty curls. Someone like this, Simon reminds himself, would be a pleasure to date. She smiled at him and pulled out her notepad. "What can I get you two?"

Simon examines the menu for a moment. "I'll have some fucking tomato soup." He begins, eyes locked on Jace. The Shadowhunter's lip form a startled O shape and he glances up at the waitress, whose friendliness had evaporated. "And a goddamn water to go with it." He shoots a glance at Jace. "Who knows what this asshole wants."

After recovering from his initial shock, Jace simply clears his throat and picks up the menu. "Same. But don't give me any fucking water." He smirks at Simon condescendingly. "Get me something brown."

"Great." The waitress sounds dead inside as she collects their menus and trudges away. Simon would feel bad for her if he wasn't so distracted by the way Jace is laughing. He pounds his fists on the table and makes the kind of inelegant noise that someone who was gasping for air would. For a moment he isn't a ruthless demon killer preparing himself for a coming battle. He was normal. If someone were to pass by their table, they'd see two normal boys laughing harder than what was necessary. Normal. Even mundane.

The waitress returns and all but dumps their food in front of them, reminding them to leave a tip. Simon's personal promise to keep his guard up was slowly fading away as Jace narrates a number of stories using animated hand gestures and loads of pretentious remarks. And, Simon has to admit, the tomato soup is pretty good.

They pay the check and Jace leaves a surprisingly generous tip, taking Simon's hand without hesitance and leading him out into the brisk summer breeze of the city. "I have about..." Jace checks his watch. "Six hours until I have to report to the Institute."

This is the part where Simon is supposed to suggest going back to the apartment or even checking into a cheap motel so they can spend the night in a beautiful platonic embrace, relishing the final moments that they, as tragically star-crossed lovers, had together. But this night hadn't gone as every cliche movie had led him to believe it would, so Simon formulated a different plan. "I want to show you something." He says casually, tugging Jace in the direction of the apartment.

"What is it?"

"Just...a certain movie."


End file.
